When Life Happens
by LaserChurch
Summary: Leonard Church can't handle the real world...at least not alone. Good thing he has his favorite girl by his side. Chex AU. Rated for language and slight sexual references.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, here's the deal. You might think that Church and Tex are a bit OOC in this story. They probably are. They're this way because this is how I envision established relationship chex make each other act. Obviously people act differently when they're in the military than when they're not, it's just a life thing. That being said, this is my interpretation of how they would be, considering this is an AU. **

**I don't own RvB :)**

"Hey man, what are you up to tonight?" Leonard Church asked his roommate, Tucker as they did their weekly half-cleaning of their apartment.

"I got a date with that hot chick from work, Vanessa. We're going bowling and then back to her place for a small 'get together'." Tucker said, raising his eyebrows. "Bow chicka bow wow."

"I hate you."

"I know. How about you, what are you and Tex doing?" Tucker questioned.

"I'm not sure man... I think I'm gonna propose soon."

"Well it's about time. How soon is soon?"

"I'm not sure... but I already have a ring." Church replied, taking a velvet box out of his pocket and handing it to Tucker. He opened it to see a silver band lined with diamonds and a regular sized round diamond in the middle.

"She's going to love it."

"Really? I'm kind of afraid she's gonna punch me and shove it down my throat."

"That sounds like something she would do to me, but I think she's ready for this. Anyway, I'm gonna go shower." Tucker said as the lock to their door clicked and Tex walked in. She locked the door behind her and walked over to kiss Church's cheek.

"Hey Al." He said with a smile. Unsatisfied with just a kiss on the cheek, he captured her lips. When they broke the kiss (20 minutes later, and somehow they had transitioned from the kitchen to the couch), she got up and gave him a hand with the dishes.

"The last of my boxes are in the car, babe." She said, wiping a plate off. She had been moving into their apartment over the course of the last week.

"Alright, when Tuck gets out of the shower we'll go get them. Why don't you go work on unpacking? I'll finish these dishes up." She nodded, kissed him again, and then turned to go to their bedroom.

"Oh, Leon, I got us new sheets, they're in the washer downstairs. I'll go grab them when they're done." She called from the bedroom.

"I'll grab them, babe. Don't worry about it!" He called back as Tucker walked out of the bathroom in just a towel.

"Hey, Tex!" He said before going in his room to change. When he closed the door, Church ran in after him.

"W-T HELL DUDE!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Oh shut up, just keep your towel on. I need to talk to you."

"Whaaat." Tucker moaned.

"What about tonight?" Church asked excitedly.

"Tonight? Dude are you crazy? This stuff takes planning!" Tucker whined.

"I don't need planning. All I know is that every time I see her I just want to ask her right away."

"Alright, go send her to the gym or something and let me get dressed. I feel really uncomfortable right now."

"Oh, grow up." Church laughed and then exited, going to his own room, where he found his girlfriend balancing on the bed, trying to hang up pictures.

"Let me help." he said, climbing up and steadying her waist so she could easily hold up the picture.

"Hey, Tucker asked me to help him with his hair and then we're gonna go get those boxes." He told her. When she had got the picture steady, she turned to face him so his arms were wrapped around her waist.

"I'm gonna go to the gym for a bit and then I'll grab some ice cream or something on the way home." She replied. He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

"Sounds good. I would tickle you right now but I don't want you to kill me."

"Smart man." She said and winked, taking off her shirt to change.

"Oh, take my car so I can grab the boxes."

"Okay. Don't forget the sheets or I'll hurt you, those were expensive." He nodded and tossed her the keys.

"Chu-urch, I need help!" Tucker called from the hallway. He sighed and took one regretful glance at her before leaving the room. He found Tucker in front of the bathroom mirror with his hands stuck in his hair.

"I screwed up, man." Tucker said as Church burst out laughing. "I hate you." Tucker whined. Church stuck Tucker's face under the faucet and began to pry his hands off of of his head as Tex walked out in a sports bra and black leggings. Grabbing one of Church's sweatshirts, she opened the door.

"Love you!" She called as she left.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own RvB!**

It took them fifteen more minutes to get Tucker un-stuck, but when they finally did, they began planning.

"She's Tex, so she probably doesn't want the typical cheesy dinner proposal..." Tucker said, stroking a non-existent beard.

"Nah. I was thinking something a bit more... romantic." Church smirked and held up their shooting range membership cards.

"Smart. Take her to shoot stuff and then propose to her." Tucker said.

"Not even. After we go shooting, we'll go stuff our faces with barbecue and rent a movie. I'll hide the ring in the popcorn."

"You're a genius. Butter her up and then when she finds the ring, you explain. And then she shoots you with her gun. Because she's scary."

"She won't shoot me. Unless I forget the sheets. How long before you leave on your date?" Church asked

"I have a couple hours." he replied

"It will make her really happy if I finish unpacking... could you give me a hand?"

"ehhh..."

"I'll give you forty bucks."

"Deal."

They headed down to Tex's car to grab the boxes, getting the sheets on the way. Tucker worked on hanging the posters and pictures while Church folded and hung clothes. They put the sheets on together, making the bed. When everything was unpacked, Church set up some candles.

"She totally digs candles." He explained.

"Dude, what chick doesn't?"

"Right?" They high-fived. Church turned to his closet and got his shooting outfit out and a cobalt button-down with black jeans. Then, he grabbed her shooting outfit and a black tank top, a black leather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans and a pair of flats for Tex to change in the car.

"Dude. How did you just do that?"

"Do what?" Church questioned.

"Pick out that outfit. Every time I try to pick out an outfit for a girl it never works." Tucker sighed.

"I've been with her since high school. Her wardrobe consists of black and dark blue. It's not that hard to match." Then, they heard the door click. Church shoved her outfit into a bag and ran out to greet her. He handed her the outfit she wore shooting.

"Shower. Change. Meet me out here." She stared at him blankly and then nodded. She started to walk towards the bathroom but turned back to face Church.

"You coming, Leon? Or am I just gonna have to shower all by myself?" She winked. A look of shock crossed his face, and Tucker pushed him forward.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own RvB!**

"So by the outfit, I assume we're going shooting?" Tex asked him.

"Mmhmm." He responded, taking her hand after opening the door for her.

"May I ask why?"

"Nope." He said, smiling. She tried to hide her confusion. "Just kidding." he said. "I just wanted to do something fun tonight."

"Fair enough." She said, getting into the car. When they got to the range, they didn't even need to show their membership cards.

"Hey Church, Hey Tex." The manager said, opening the door for the couple. They greeted him back, and then proceeded to pick out their guns. Church managed to get a few pictures of her when she wasn't looking, just so he could remember tonight. When he was sure all of any aggression she had was gone, they decided to leave.

"Now we shall advance to dinner."

"God, you're a nerd."

"Shut up and change your clothes."

"You packed me clothes? Awh what a sweetheart." She said, half-sarcastically and half not. He smiled and handed her the bag. She came out and he took a picture.

"Did you just take a picture of me?" She asked.

"No..." He responded. She let it go.

"Where are we going for dinner?"

"You'll find out." He said, placing his arm lightly around her waist as they walked to the car.

"Oh hell yes!" She shouted as they pulled into her favorite restaurant's parking lot.

"Also, I stole Tucker's wallet so you can get whatever you want."

"Did you really?" She asked.

"Well, not his whole wallet. Just a hundred bucks." He smirked, holding up the cash.

"You're a horrible person. It's really hot. Can we please make out now?" He responded by attacking her lips with his. After a solid 30 minutes, he got out to open the door for her and interlaced their fingers.

"Hey, Bill!" Church said to the cashier. "Can we get the usual please?" Bill nodded and led them over to a table.

"So what's all this for?" She asked him, confused.

"I just love you, Al. A lot. It makes me happy when you're happy, so I thought we could do things that make you happy tonight." She tried to hide her smile. It didn't work.

"You're such a sap, Leon, but you're my sap." She squeezed his hand. And with that, he lost it. He had to ask her, now. He couldn't stand the possibility that she would ever be anyone else's.

"Hold on a sec." He got up, handed Bill his phone and asked if someone could record it. Then, he walked back to the table.

"Hey Al?" He asked.

"Hm?" She responded. He reached into his pocket.

"I love you. More than anything, and you know that. I love that you wake up super early and jump on me until I wake up. I love that you go to the gym and bring home ice cream, like it doesn't even matter that you just worked out. I love that you are the best shot that I know. I love waking up to your blue eyes and your blonde hair and that cute little smile. I love that you send me cute little texts at work. I love that you have beaten up every single one of my friends many times. I love it when you blush because I'm so cheesy. Most of all, I love every second I spend with you." He paused, smiling at her. "But... there are some things that I hate, too. I hate it that whenever I'm away from you, I get the worst separation anxiety on the planet. I hate it that you make me this nice guy when I'm so used to being a dick. But what I really hate is that you're not really mine yet. I want to change that. So, will you..." He took out the ring and got on one knee. "Marry me?" She stared at him for a few seconds, blinking. At that point, everyone in the restaurant was watching, waiting to see what she would do. She got down on her knees and kissed him, then hit him on the arm.

"That was for being so dorky. And yes." She said with a smile. He slipped the ring on her finger and then picked her up and kissed her again.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own RvB!**

He was radiating happiness. He didn't care about anything anymore except for her. He didn't care if he looked like an idiot, if she wanted him to do it, he would do it. When they got out of their car, he picked her up bridal styled and carried her all the way to their apartment, running into their neighbors/friends, Grif and Simmons.

"Hey guys." Grif said.

"Oh, hi!" Church responded, noticing someone other than Tex for the first time since dinner.

"What's are you guys up to?" Simmons asked. Church set Tex down gently and took her hand, raising it to show off the ring.

"We kinda just got engaged." Tex told them.

"For real?" Grif asked. "Finally! Simmons, you owe me twenty bucks, suck on that!" He high-fived Church.

"Yeah, it was nice talking to you guys, but we're gonna go have engagement sex, so see you around!" Tex said as Church picked her back up and ran to the apartment. They only made it as far as the couch. A couple of hours later, a saddened Tucker opened the door to Church watching TV on the couch while Tex brushed her teeth in the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" Church asked Tucker.

"Turns out, bowling was just a friend thing. Also, the get together was a legit get together." He slumped on the couch next to his best friend. "I'm so stupid."

"Why are you stupid?" Tex asked, entering the living room in shorts and one of Church's t-shirts, her hair in a messy bun.

"I thought I was going on a date but it was just a 'friend thing'." Tucker sighed.

"Sorry, Tuck." She said, giving him a hug. When she pulled away, Tucker caught her left hand.

"No way. You actually did it?!" He high-fived Church. Then he turned to Tex. "Hahahaha I can't believe you're marrying this asshole."

"Love you too, man."

"So, any plans for the wedding?" Tucker asked as Tex sat on Church's lap so that her back was on the arm of the chair.

"Something small." Tex said.

"What about your parents?" Tucker questioned Church.

"We're still… talking about that. I'll let you know." Church responded. Tex set her head down on Church's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Church… I really like Vanessa. I don't think she likes me the same way, though." Tex took out her phone and sent a text.

"Grif and Simmons are coming over for dinner tomorrow, why don't you invite her? Like, specify the fact that you want it to be a date." Tex told him after her phone vibrated. Tucker sighed and agreed. Looking at the clock, she reached over, grabbed Tucker's phone off the table and threw it at him. "Call her. Now."

"What she said!" Church agreed, high-fiving his fiancée.

"Babe, we really do need to talk about your parents and the wedding." Tex whispered, her head back on his shoulder. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, sighing heavily.

"I know, but I really don't want to."

"If we talk about it now, we don't have to talk about it again." She said, kissing his cheek.

"I guess I can call my mom. I'll see if she even wants to come. My dad… probably doesn't even want to talk to me."

"Do you think they remember me?" She asked.

"Probably. I snuck you in a lot, and you're really bad at being quiet during…certain situations." He smirked at her. She playfully hit his arm.

"Jerk. Hey, I think I'm gonna go lay in bed for a while. I'll meet you in there." She said, kissing him and turning around. It took her about two seconds before she came running back.

"Did you do that?" She asked.

"What?"

"Did you finish unpacking?"

"Yeah. Why? Do you not like it?" He panicked.

"Nonononono." She hugged him. "It's perfect. I love it. Thank you."

The next day, he woke up to an empty bed and a note:

_Call your mom. Then you can have chocolate chip pancakes. _

_-Allison_

He groaned. She was ruthless. He turned to his nightstand and grabbed his phone, regretfully dialing his mother's number.

"Hello?" A familiar voice answered the phone.

"Hi, mom." He said.

"Leonard? It's been too long."

"Yeah, it has. Hey, so I have something to tell you."

"You do? What could that be?" his mother asked.

"It's Allison. We're getting married." He forced.

"Allison? As in, Allison from high school? Didn't you break up a long time ago? Oh, god, Leonard. Did you get her pregnant?!"

"Mom. Slow down. We never broke up, we've been together since high school, and no, she is not pregnant. I love her and I'm marrying her and I know you guys don't like me but if you and dad want to come to the wedding, you're welcome to. Also, I know you didn't like her in high school, but you need to meet her again. She's different, and I can't live without her."

"Alright. I'll talk to your father. Goodbye, Leonard."

He hung up the phone and walked over to the door and opened it, catching Allison as she fell.

"Eavesdropping?" He asked with a smirk.

"Sorry…" She said, looking down. He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Don't be sorry. I have nothing to hide from you. Now what was this about chocolate chip pancakes?" He asked. She smiled and took his hand, leading him out to the table, kicking Tucker's door on the way.

"Tucker, breakfast!" He came running out in just his boxers.

"Dude." Church covered Tex's eyes. "Put on some pants. And a shirt." Tucker looked down.

"Right." He said, going back to his room, ignoring the laughter from the couple behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

"Eggs!" Tex yelled.

"EGGS!" Church responded, tossing the carton of eggs at her. She caught them, taking four out and cracking them in a pan.

"Bacon!"

"BACON!" And then there was bacon in the pan as well.

"IT'S A SUPER PARTY BREAKFAST EXPLOSION!" Church and Tex yelled in unison, Tucker laughing hysterically behind the camera.

"Breakfast for dinner is the beeeeest." Church said with a fist pump. Then, there was a soft knock on the door.

"People!" Tex exclaimed, running to open the door. It was Grif and Simmons.

"You made it!" She hugged them both.

"Um... we live next door... it wasn't that hard to get here." Simmons replied.

"Speak...for...yourself-" Grif managed, panting.

"Gri-if!" Simmons' said with his usual voice crack. "We only walked like three feet!"

"Whatever. What's for dinner?" Grif asked.

"Tex made waffles, omelets, bacon, eggs and pretty much any other breakfast food you can think of, but we have to wait til' my date gets here." Tucker told them. As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Do you normally have breakfast for dinner? If so can I move in?" Grif said to Tex while Tucker went to let Vanessa in.

"Did I under-dress?" She asked him before she walked in. She was wearing a casual strapless dress with black leggings and heeled sandals.

"No, you look amazing." He said. She smiled and he motioned towards the table where Church, Tex, Grif and Simmons were all sitting down.

"Okay, you guys are dating, right?" Church asked Grif and Simmons.

"Um... no?" Grif responded, blushing.

"For real?" Tex spoke, not convinced. "We live next door. We hear strange noises. We know you're dating."

"This is a safe environment for all feelings." Tucker said. Simmons got up.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" He shouted, voice cracking and running away. Grif facepalmed.

"Smooth. I think that probably answers your question. Can we eat now?"

"Sorry about that, Vanessa." Tucker said. "Let me introduce you to everyone."

"These are my roommates, Church and Tex. They're super mushy and gross, they've been together since junior year of high school and they got engaged yesterday." He paused, as Tex raised her hand to show her ring. "quick bio: Tex is really scary sometimes and she's an amazing shot. Also, her name isn't really Tex but only Church uses her real name. Same with Church, you'll never hear them call each other Church or Tex. Church is a pretty good shot too, they were both in the military for two years, and they've been home for two. Also, he's pretty oblivious to other things."

"Shut up, I am not."

"Are too."

"You were the oblivious one when I took a hundred bucks from your wallet yesterday." Church retorted.

"I was wondering why my wallet felt light..." Tucker pondered. "Never mind. I'll murder him later."

"No you won't." Tex glared at him. "Unless you would like a bullet in your head."

"Told you she was scary. Anyway, the one stuffing his face is Grif, and the one that just ran away is Simmons. They're madly in love and they banter like an old married couple. They're nerds that just sit around and play video games and make out."

"Okay, so Church is mean, Tex is scary, Grif is lazy and Simmons is awkward?" Vanessa asked.

"You'll fit in just fine here." Tex said with a smile.

"So, what's your guys' story?" Vanessa asked Church and Tex.

"We met in elementary school." Tex began. "We hated each other. Then, in middle school, we started talking and became somewhat friends."

"Then, in high school, she became super popular." Church continued. "I was a dweeb. We would still talk, but we weren't as close as we used to be. Of course, I had been in love with her since fifth grade, but I finally asked her out in sophomore year."

"I said no." Tex said. "But, he was persistent. He asked me every day for a year, so eventually, I said yes. We went on a couple of dates and then-" She stopped. Church looked at her, and she nodded.

"Senior year, her parents were killed in a car crash."

"I had really bad depression problems after that. I only had him to hold on to." She took his hand as if she needed it to anchor her down.

"We decided to join the military together. We saw some really bad fights." Church continued, his voice catching. "We were the only ones to survive in our unit."

"They have really bad separation anxiety because of that. They don't sleep unless they're together, and usually one of them wakes up screaming from nightmares." Tucker leaned over, whispering to Vanessa.

"Excuse me, guys. I need a sec." Tex said, turning to go to her room.

"I should-" Church cut himself off and then got up to follow his fianceé.

"Are they gonna be okay?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, they'll be fine. It's just hard for them to talk about this stuff." Tucker responded.

Church and Tex came back a couple minutes later and apologized, continuing to eat their dinner. After that, the conversation shifted to happier things, and Grif cried when Tex brought out the chocolate cake.

After dinner, Tucker and Vanessa decided to go on a walk, Grif and Simmons were packaging leftovers to take home while Church and Tex washed the dishes.

"I honestly don't think I've ever seen Tucker act like that around a girl before." Church said, referring to the fact that he was actually polite.

"I like her. She won't take his crap." Tex mused. Then, Church's phone rang.

"...It's my dad. I...can you answer it?" He asked her. She nodded.

"Hello?"

"Allison? Is Leonard there?"

"He's here, but I'm not going to give him the phone if this conversation is going to go anything like the last time you two talked. He was devastated, and that's not going to happen again. Understood?" She spoke firmly.

"I understand. I'd like to talk to him."

"You okay with this?" She asked Church.

"Yeah." He replied, taking the phone. "Dad?"

"Leonard. I want to have a conversation with you, in person. I'd also like to meet her again."

"I thought that you never wanted me to talk to you again." He said to his father.

"I was wrong. But I'd like to speak with you in person. Can we fly in?" his father asked. He thought for a moment.

"Hold on." He looked at Tex. "They want to fly in and meet you."

"It's up to you, babe." She smiled. He put his hand on her cheek and put the phone back up to his ear.

"Only if you stay at a hotel. We don't have any room in our apartment." Church sighed.

"Alright. Some time next week? Maybe Monday?"

"Sure. Bye, Dad." he said, wanting to cut the conversation short.

"Well, that wasn't what I expected." Tex said to Church.

"Me neither." He responded, pulling her close. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it together." She nodded and he kissed her forehead.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm obsessed with this story. No shame.**

**I don't own RvB.**

"Leon, baby, it's time to wake up." Allison whispered into Leonard's ear. That didn't work. She frowned, and then she climbed on top of him. "Leonard." she said, this time more firmly. Still nothing. She then had a different idea. She began to trail kisses up his neck until she reached his lips. She felt him wake up, responding to the kiss.

"You should wake me up like that more often." She giggled and then moved to get up, but he caught her and pulled her into another kiss.

"Leon, we gotta get dressed, we have to go pick up your parents." She said, breaking the kiss.

"Yeah, but we have to take a shower before we get dressed, don't we?"

"touche." She rolled out of bed and he picked her up. She wrapped her legs around him.

"Morning guys." Tucker called sarcastically when they opened the door. Tex flipped him off, and then the bathroom door slammed.

...

"What should I even wear?" Church asked when he finished brushing his teeth.

"Wear something normal." She responded, straightening her long blonde hair.

"What even is normal?" He panicked. She rolled her eyes, walked in their room and pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She then proceeded to throw it at an unsuspecting Church, shouted "NORMAL!" and then laugh hysterically. Then, she grabbed a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a blue tank top for herself.

"You're going to freeze." He told her when he saw her.

"No I'm not, I'll be fine." She responded. He shrugged and opened the door.

"Dear God it's cold out here." She said the second they stepped outside. He rolled his eyes, slipped his jacket off and gave it to her. She kissed him on the cheek and thanked him. It was about an hour drive to the airport in which they spent the entire time singing to the radio in voices of various celebrities. When they got there, or rather when they found a parking space, he took her hand and they navigated to the baggage check for their flight. While they were waiting, they sat down and he put his arm around her. She set her head on his shoulder and fell asleep.

"Leonard?" His mom asked and he looked up.

"Al, they're here." He said, she snapped her head up.

"Sorry, our flight was really delayed." His mom apologized. "Hello, Leonard. You've changed so much." She said, giving him a hug. "Hello, Allison." She turned to greet her.

"Hi, Mrs. Church. It's been awhile." Allison responded, shaking her hand.

"Leonard, Allison." Church's father addressed them and he stepped protectively in front of his fiancee.

"Dad."

"It's alright, Leon." He heard Allison's voice whisper in his ear. He then realized he had a death grip on her hand.

"Help me." He whispered back to her.

"So, we're going to take you guys to your hotel to drop off your stuff, and then we thought that maybe you'd like to have lunch at our apartment? Our roommate should be gone for the afternoon." They agreed.

"Here, mom." Leonard said as he took his mom's bag, not letting go of Allison's hand. They lead the way to the car, putting the bags in the trunk.

"Leon, you're shaking." She whispered, a look of concern crossed her face.

"I'm pretty nervous. Can you drive?" She nodded, taking the keys from his pocket. It was silent, until Leonard's mom broke the silence.

"Where are you working now, Leonard?" She asked.

"Actually both of us still work with the military. We live by a base. I work special weaponry, maintaining and fixing any and all weapons that need it." He replied, relieved she was only asking about work.

"What about you, Allison?"

"I run boot camp, training new recruits for specific battle situations."

"Why did you join the military?" Leonard's dad spoke up for the first time since the airport.

"Leon and I talked about it for about a year, and we just decided it was where we wanted to go with our lives." Allison responded.

"You both keep saying 'we' as if there was no separation." his dad remarked.

"That's because there isn't, dad. Let me set something straight: there is no me without her, and I want to try and patch things up with you guys, but if you can't accept that, then we should just turn the car around and take you right back to the airport." He stated firmly. A look of shock crossed their faces.

"Fair enough." His father responded. The rest of the car ride was silent. Allison pulled the car into the hotel, and his parents went to check in.

"Was I too harsh?" He asked her when they were alone. She kissed him.

"I've been wanting to do that since the airport." She kissed him again. He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. "There is no me without you, either."

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too, so much." She responded.

"Here they come...let's get this over with." He sighed.


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own RvB.**

When they got back to their apartment, Allison gave Leonard's mom a tour, silently thanking God that someone had made their bed this morning.

"I'm surprised you guys don't have more alcohol here." She remarked.

"We're a lot different then we were in high school, Mrs. Church." Allison spoke.

"Please, call me Brenda. You're going to be my daughter in law."

"Please, if you have something to say to me, say it." Allison said firmly.

"Alright, fine. I think you're a bad influence on Leonard."

"Honestly, Brenda, you don't get to make that call. You abandoned him because he chose to do something different with his life than you had planned. You abandoned him because he fell in love with a mess. You don't get to suddenly come back and tell him how he should live his life. Listen, I may not have been the best influence in high school, but I love your son. I would jump in front of a train for him." Allison finished, tears in her eyes.

"_He _left us. To go die in battle!"

"No. He was coming back. You were the ones that chose to stay away." The tears fell. Instantly, she was pulled into an embrace, nuzzling her head in his chest.

"She's right." Leonard's dad said. They hadn't realized that they had been having a huge argument in the hallway.

"We did something wrong, Brenda. Now we have to fix it. Don't you see how strong he's become? If he had just taken over the store when we wanted him to, he wouldn't be the man he is today. Look at them. They've been together for what, six years? I think it's safe to say that they're ready."

"Thank you, dad."

"I need to go back to the hotel. I need time to think." Brenda stormed out of the room. Church slipped the keys to his car out of Tex's pocket. He then handed them to his dad.

"We'll call you."

Leonard nodded, still calming his fiancee down. When they had left, he kissed the top of her head.

"Babe, are you okay?" He asked, wiping her tears with his thumb.

"No. I'm not okay, because your mom is an asshole."

"I figured that one out a long time ago." He responded with a small laugh.

"They can't just come back because we call them and then start criticizing our choices and the way we live our life." she said, more tears slipping out. "I'm sorry. I should be the one comforting you. I feel like a jerk."

"You're not a jerk. You have just as much right to be upset as I do. I'm just sorry that you had to deal with her. Also, I want to thank you."

"Why?"

"Because you're always with me, and because you defended me." That's something that my mom wouldn't have done."

"I'll always stand by you. That's what getting married means, right? Forever?" She smiled.

"Forever." He responded setting his head on top of hers.

…..

Tucker came home to Church sitting on the couch watching TV and Tex curled up, asleep with her head in his lap.

"Hey man. How was the date?" Church asked Tucker.

"It was fantastic, man. She's so amazing." Tucker replied, sitting on the side of the couch that wasn't occupied.

"How'd it go with your parents?"

"As you would expect. They came over and pointed out everything wrong with us, and Al got into a big fight with my mom. Then, they left and I haven't heard from them since."

"Sounds like you had a great day. Was she really upset?" Tucker questioned, referring to Tex.

"Yeah. She's exhausted. Bad dreams." Church said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Yeah, I heard her." Tucker responded.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, she can't help it. Usually I have earplugs in." Tucker shrugged. "So... I asked Vanessa to be my girlfriend today." He casually slipped into conversation.

"Did you? Did she say no and punch you in the throat?"

"Dude, isn't that what Tex did to you?"

"Touche. What did she say?"

"She actually said yes." Tucker said, trying to hide his smile.

"Niiiice." Church said, fist bumping Tucker. Tex gasped and sat up.

"Shh. You're okay. Go back to sleep." He soothed. She sighed and then shifted so she was sitting in his lap and then curled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. She was asleep again in minutes.

"So have you guys talked about the wedding at all yet?"

"Yeah. We actually set a date last night, December 7th."

"Dude. That's in like two months."

"Yep. You don't need that much time to plan a small wedding." Their conversation was cut short by a phone call from his dad. He answered it and told him to hold on, setting Tex down gently by Tucker.

"You know what to do if she wakes up." Tucker nodded and Church went off to go talk to his dad. He came back a few minutes later and sighed.

"I have to go out to dinner with my dad. He wanted to have a 'one on one' conversation, but I told him that I wasn't going to talk to him unless she was with me, so we'll be gone tonight."

"Alright. I have to work tonight anyway." Tucker told him.

"Leon!" Tex cried from her spot on the couch, shocking herself into waking up.

"I'm here." He comforted. "It's alright."

"I never want to go to sleep again. Ever." She sobbed. Eventually, she calmed down.

"I told my dad we'd go out to dinner with him tonight, but if you aren't feeling good, I can just go." He told her.

"There's no way I'm letting you leave me. I'm coming." She stated matter-of-factly.

"We're going to a fancy restaurant, so don't look like a hobo." He smirked.

"Oh, says the man who needed his fiancée to pick out his outfit this morning." She retorted with a small laugh. "Don't you worry, Leon, I'll make sure to look my best." She winked and turned to go get dressed. When she exited the bathroom, she was in a tight blue dress that went to just above her knees with a diagonal strap that was accented with flowers. Her hair was curled half up-half down, and she had matching blue heels.

"What do you think?" She asked him.

"The worst thing about that dress is that it makes me want to rip it off of you." He responded.

"Later." She breathed, placing a kiss on his cheek.

**One of the things that I'm really going to hit hard (bow chicka bow wow) in this fanfiction is the nightmares and separation anxiety, because I think that's really something that chex has to deal with. I mean honestly, think about everything they've been through. That is all, thank you :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own RvB.**

"We can't afford a place like this." Allison whispered to Leonard before sitting down in the chair he had just pulled out for her.

"Don't worry about it, honey." He responded. She sighed, and he took her hand, which was set on the table.

"Sorry I'm late," Leonard's dad spoke, advancing towards the table. "I got lost." Church tried to suppress his laughter.

"Allison, you look beautiful. Leonard, you look…nice." Allison giggled and Leonard scowled.

"Well, people have always told me I look like my dad." He retorted.

"Excuse me, I'm gonna go to the restroom." Tex said before standing up. Church kissed her hand and then let go.

"You really do love her, don't you?" His dad asked.

"More than my own life."

"Your mom is convinced that she's… holding you hostage."

"And you aren't? I don't know why she's having so much trouble with it, but you've magically turned into some kind of nice guy that's actually supportive of me." His dad started to respond when he was interrupted.

"Excuse me, Mr. Michael, Mr. Leonard? Would you like some wine samples or menus?" The waiter asked.

"Allison's more of a beer person and I'm driving, so I'll take a coke and she'll take whatever your best tap beer is." Leonard told the waiter.

"I'll just take a water." Michael said. The waiter nodded and left.

"Sorry about that, there was a massive line." Allison apologized, sitting back down. Leonard took her hand again and smiled.

"What were you going to say, dad?" Leonard asked.

"I was going to say that… I was angry for so long. I thought that you left because you were unhappy with the life we had built for you. And now, I realize you weren't happy. We built your life. We expected you to just grow up and take over the family store and like it. But, you had other plans. You got a girlfriend. You got in trouble. You had fun. You got arrested a couple times. Then, she needed you, you began prioritizing, and we didn't understand. Finally, you left." He paused, taking a drink of his water. "We thought that she was taking you from us."

"Why is it so hard to understand that I am capable of making my own decisions?!"

"Because you're our son. You'll understand someday. Hopefully someday soon, your mother has always wanted grandkids." Leonard looked at Allison. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Anyway," He continued. "I understand now. You grew up. You became a man, you've got a hell of a girl and a super cool job. I want to be a part of your life, and I know your mom does too. She just needs some time."

Leonard exhaled and took a large drink of Allison's beer.

"I'd like that, dad."

**Short chapter because I wanted to get this parent stuff out of the way because now I can get into the wedding, so get ready because the next chapter starts**

**2 MONTHS IN THE FUTURE!**


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